DePue's World War II veteran awarded a Quilt a Valor

DEPUE — On Sunday, Verne Petersen knew his family members were putting on a small birthday celebration for his 95th birthday this week. What he didn’t know was that he would be receiving a Quilt of Valor for his service in World War II.

Petersen had a surprised look on his face when Terry Johnson, leader of the Illinois Valley Quilts of Valor, began her introduction during Sunday's small gathering in the park shelter near Lake DePue.

Johnson had come with three others from her organization: Betty Baznik of Peru, Ann Register of Princeton and Brad Oeder of Princeton, to award a man who holds both a Bronze and Silver Star for his service.

Petersen was nominated to receive a quilt by Eva and Dan Blanco of DePue. Eva said she became acquainted with Johnson when she presented a program about the Quilts of Valor at a DAR meeting.

“When I came home and told Dan, he immediately thought Verne was definitely deserving. He had read about Verne’s World War II endeavors,” she said.

Petersen had been originally scheduled to receive his quilt in March, however that date was pushed back due to COVID.

Petersen served in the U.S. Army’s 310th Infantry Regiment, 78th Infantry Division. He served in Belgium, Germany and France and fought along the Siegfried Line.

Petersen earned the Silver Star in March of 1945 at an undisclosed location in Germany for his “daring leadership and devotion to duty,” his award commendation reads.

When his whole platoon had been captured, Petersen found an abandoned SCR 300 radio and notified battalion headquarters.

During the night, the men experienced enemy fire. Petersen led an attack on an enemy machine gun and succeeded in silencing it. He eventually guided the platoon to safety

In 1946, Petersen met the Adjusted Service Rating Score and was sent home. The Army used this points system to determine who would be repatriated.

Two years ago, Petersen was selected to go on an Honor Flight to Washington, D.C. He was among the last of the World War II veterans to go. When he returned, he received a real hero’s welcome, which was something he didn’t receive in 1946. Petersen had returned home with no celebration and was expected to go back to work after fighting the war in Europe.

Part of Johnson's Quilt of Valor celebration is to give all veterans she drapes in a quilt a warm "welcome home," which is what she did during Sunday's presentation. The quilt is a tangible "thank you" for a veteran's service, sacrifice and valor and is meant to provide comfort and healing.

This month, the National Quilts of Valor Organization has given away 1,232 quilts; To date, this year, it's given away 9,885 quilts. Since its beginning in 2003, the national organization has given away 252,370 quilts to veterans.

Johnson said this year’s numbers are down quite a bit as the organization has been careful about the spread of COVID-19. This year’s numbers would probably have been around 20,000 quilts, she said.

In addition to Petersen's family members, also in attendance on Sunday were representatives from DePue VFW #4602, DePue VFW Auxiliary #4602, Princeton-Illinois Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution and Colonial Dames of the XVII Century of Peoria.